Citadelle Gin

Citadelle

Origin

France

Type

Gin

Barrel

Not Specified

Age

No Age Statement

Alcohol

44°

Value

30 points

About the product

Citadelle Gin is made at Maison Ferrand, who are also known for their wonderful cognacs. Their home base is Chateau de Bonbonnet. There, in the south-west of France around that chateau, you see everything that makes Citadelle Gin so unique. The sun, the sea, the landscapes make you dream away to summer and the holiday atmosphere. Nothing underlines that atmosphere better than Citadelle Gin.

Juniper bushes grow around Chateau de Bonbonnet. The berries of those bushes gave founder Alexandre Gabriel an idea: there the seed was planted for the creation of the first modern French gin, a true ‘gin de château’. A crazy idea in 1996, a reality now! Juniper is essential to the flavour profile of a gin, and so the quality of it is more than important. Maison Ferrand will soon get a certificate guaranteeing the organic origin of the juniper. There are as many as 2,500 juniper bushes around the Chateau de Bonbonnet. Besides juniper, there are 19 other botanicals that define Citadelle Gin. Those botanicals impart their flavours to the gin through a slow process of progressive infusion; that sounds complex, but it is essentially no more difficult than letting your tea soak in your hot water just long enough to create the perfect flavour.

Citadelle Gin is essential at a real apéro. Apéro is what the French call their aperitif hour, but more than that, it's a real ritual. You can use Citadelle Gin during apéro in many ways: with tonic and ice on the beach, with a dozen oysters or à la Française. Important: it tastes best with family, friends and a piece of fresh lemon zest.

About the brand

Maison Ferrand is known first and foremost for the cognacs they make. For that, everything starts in the vineyards. Those are in the heart of the prestigious Grande Champagne, a premier cru region in the Cognac region. Walking past those vines, you immediately sense what makes Grande Champagne such a special region. It looks like inhospitable chalky soil and yet the vibrancy splashes from the grapes. It is this terroir that ensures the worldwide praise and love for the cognacs made here. Here, in the centre of Cognac, in the small village of Segonzac, Elie Ferrand was born in 1630.
Ten generations of Elie Ferrand later, Mademoiselle Manor, home of the Ferrand family, still stands here. Following in the footsteps of those forefathers, the current generation still follows Ferrand. They seek the perfect harmony between nature and man, and make great efforts to cultivate the land and the plants that grow there healthily. Shropshire sheep wander among the vines in winter, naturally keeping the sown grass short and providing natural fertilisation. In this way, the vineyard is optimally prepared for a new growing season, but also in the long term for future generations.

Ugni Blanc is the essential cognac grape and is known for its high acidity that protects the wine until it is ready for distillation. The resulting eaux-de-vie from these grapes are known for their exceptional finesse and are well suited to long ageing. Ferrand also experiments with other grape varieties, with a view to reviving old techniques. among them, for example, the Colombard, which is used for the Ferrand Ambré. A unique feature of Cognac Ferrand is that they apply another specific heat treatment just after obtaining the heart of their distillate, to extract additional aromas. This sensitively increases the complexity of their product. Next, Ferrand adds perhaps the most important ingredient: time. Over a period of many years, the alcohol slowly matures into cognac, creating Ferrand's famous cognacs.

In addition to world-class cognacs, Maison Ferrand makes other spirits. One of the most famous is undoubtedly the Citadelle Gin.